Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Looking for the Place of Death

I've always wondered why I could never find Joseph T. Allen in the Ohio death certificates at FamilySearch. He lived most of his adult life in the Warren area, so his death should have been registered in Trumbull County, right? Plus, I know he was buried in Union Cemetery (AKA Niles City Cemetery) which is in Trumbull County.

Well, today I got a copy of Joseph's obituary. At the time of his death he was visiting his daughter who lived nearby... in Sharon, Mercer, Pennsylvania. So not only did Joseph not die in Trumbull County, he didn't even die in the state of Ohio!

Since all my Pennsylvania ancestors left before vital records began to be kept, I have no experience with ordering records from the state. I have heard that it can take a very long time and easily turn into a nightmare.

Then again, I'm not in a hurry, it is a record I'd like to have, and it would be a new experience. Hmm...

2 comments:

Uncertified copies can be ordered for $3 each. I ordered 21 death certificates back in early March. The instructions said it could take 16-18 weeks, so when I recently received them, it was a pleasant surprise and filled in lots of interesting information for ancestors of my mother's. Of course, having easily found Ohio death records for my husband's father's family at FamilySearch.org, I recognize that in researching Ohio records, you get spoiled. Go for it!

About

I'm a 20-something, long-time genealogy enthusiast from Northern California. My paternal ancestry is mostly concentrated in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada. On my mother's side, I am a 6th generation Californian, with ties further back to many of the lower 48 states.